Fusee.



W. D. JACKSON.

FUSEE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10. 1914.

1,153,088. PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

' To all whom it may concern;

\ UNITED STATES PATENT onrron 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB T0GEORGE B.

015 PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WILTON D. JACKSON,

JACKSON,

FUSEE.

Application filed December 10, 1914. Serial No. 876,512.

are more fully described hereinafter, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a sectional view of a fusee made in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2, is a perspective view of a material retaining blockwhich I employ with my improve fusee, and Figs. 3, -i, 5, 6 and 7 areviews 0 modified forms of material retaining blocks, within the scope ofmy invention.

In carrying out my invention, I fit the end of the fusee tube 1, with atubular plug 2 for the reception of the hardhead 3, which plug is firmlysecured to such tube. This plug has a conical through bore 4, thesmaller end of which is disposed at the extremity of the fusee. Astraight bore would allow the contents of the fusee to fly out when thelatter struck the roadbed if thrown from a train. The conical boreprevents this, as the contents choke up in the bore and are restrainedand held in. This plug or block, which is preferably cylindrical, may besecured in place by applying glue to the outer wall or surface of thesame which will be attached to the inner wall of the fusee tube, or byother means, as hereinafter described. It frequently happens, however,that the tubes do not run true to size, and hence to avoid anydifliculty that might be occasioned owing to the fact that the plugwould not fit the tubes, I slot the plug, as indicated at 5; such slotbeing of an appreciable width so as to permit contraction of Be it knownthat I, WILTON D. JAcKsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements inFusees, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fusees of the type generally employed inrailroad practice, containing colored fire or similar illuminatingmaterial and provided with eel-E contained means whereby suchilluminating material may be ignited.

The customary practice is to fill the paper tube or body of the fuseewith the illuminating material to point within a half inch or so fromthe upper end or top of such tube. This space is then filled with asecondary compound or priming commonly called the hardhead, which isusually in a solid state when the fusee is ready for use. The top of thehardhead is coated or partially coated with initially ignitiblematerial.

In fusees as usually made, more or less difliculty occurs in thehandling of the same owing to the danger of the ignition materialleaking out of the top. This may be due to several causes. The tube ofthe fusee is usually of pasteboard or similar material and is liable todamage at the ignition end, and while under ordinary circumstances theignition material or hardhead to be initially ignited is hard or firmlycompressed and tends to hold itself in place, it may be dislodged orfractured by a sharp blow, or by damage in transit, or from othercauses, prior to use. In practice, it has been discovered that thehardhead substance sometimes blows out of the end of the fusee by forcegenerated from its own combustion before the main body of illuminatingmaterial within the fusee has become ignited. In other instances, it hasfallen out, and in some instances when thrown from a train the jar ofstriking the earth causes it to drop out. Under these conditions thefusee will not burn and it is thereby rendered useless as a signalingdevice.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the dangers ofthese several conditions may be avoided or prevented.

These and other features of my invention If desired, in order to assistinsertion of the plug in the tube, the lower portion of the outer wallmay be slightly beveled, as indicated at 6, in Fig. 3.

In some instances it may be desirable to grove or slot the under portionof the plug to make it suificiently compressible for ready insertion inthe tube instead of carrying the slot 5 through to the conical bore.Such a construction is shown in Fig. l; the grooves or slots being shownat 7. I

It will be obvious, of course, that the plug may be held in the end ofthe fusee tube by various means, such, for instance, as thoseillustrated in the several views of the drawings, and in various otherways, too numerous to mention. While illustrating a numtube of thefusee.

the plug prior to slipping the same in the her of ways in which suchplug may be held in place, I do not wish to be limited to any of theconstructions I have illustrated.

In Fig. 5, I have shown a plug with a conical bore,such as illustratedin Fig. 2, held in place by a pinor tack 8. V v

In Fig. 6, I have shown a plug 2* having an annular groove 9 at theupper outer edge of the same, into which the wall of the fusee tube maybe upset or crimped, as indicated at l i In Fig. 7, T have shown a plug2* having an annular groove 9 midway of the top or bottom into which thewall of the fusee tube may be turned or spun, as indicated at 1 in thedrawings.

While I have shown and described a plug made of wood, it is obvious thatI may employ tubular blocks or plugs of other material; such aspasteboard, composition, papier mach, or any other suitable material,constructed in a manner that will permit in sertion in or attachment tothe fusee tube in a manner that will insure the performance of thefunction for which such tubular plugs or blocks are desired.

claim: r V

1. The combination, in'a fusee, of a tubular body, and a contractiletubular plug fitting the end of the same. Y

2. The combination, in a fusee, of a tubular body, and a contractiletubular plug fitting the end of the same and having a conical bore. 7

' 3. The combination, in a fusee, of a tubular body, and a contractiletubular plug of Wood fitting the end of the same.

4. The combination, in a fusee, of a tubular body, and a contractiletubular plug of wood fitting the end of the same'and having a conicalbore. 7

5. The combination, in a fusee, of a tubular body, and a split tubularplug fitting the end of the same.

glue ,said plug having 6. The combination, in a fusee, of a tubularbody, and a split tubular plug fitting the endof the same and having aconical bore. 7. The combination, in a fusee, of a tubular body, and asplit tubular plug of wood fitting the end of the same.

8. The combination, in a fusee, of a tubular body, and a split tubularplug of wood fitting .the end of the same and having a conical bore.

9. The combination of a fusee, comprising a tubular body filled withilluminating material, and a splitplug fitting the end of the tubularbody and fastened thereto, said plug having aconical bore with thesmaller opening at the extremity of the fusee andrecei-ving a portion ofthe igniting material.

10. The combination of a fusee, compris-' ing a tubular body filled withilluminating material, a split plug fitting the ignitible end of thetubular body, and means for fastening said plug to the fusee tube, aconical bore with the smaller opening at the extremityof the fusee andreceiving a portion of theigniting material.

11. The combination of a fusee, comprissaid plug having ing a tubularbody filled with illuminating material, and a contractile plug fittingthe end of the tubular body and secured in place byglue; said plughaving a conical bore.

hecombination of a fusee, compris ing a tubular body filledwith-illuminating material, and a split plug fitting theend of thetubular body and secured in placebya conical bore. I Intestimonywhereof, I have signed-my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing. Witnesses.

Witnesses:

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner ofjEatents Washington, D. 0. I 1 7 WILTON D. JACKSON. 1

